Ukraine is awaiting confirmation from the United States on a date to formally sign a long-awaited security guarantees document that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said is fully prepared. The statement comes as US-brokered negotiations with Russia in Abu Dhabi have yielded only limited progress, with no concrete agreement, while Russian missile attacks continue unabated.
Speaking at a press conference during his visit to Vilnius, Zelenskyy said the proposed guarantees are central to Ukraine’s negotiating position nearly four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion. He stressed that firm commitments from Washington are essential for Kyiv as diplomatic efforts move forward.
Zelenskyy said the document on security guarantees is “100 per cent ready” and that Ukraine is now waiting for its American partners to confirm the time and venue for signing. Once signed, he said, the agreement would be sent for ratification to both the US Congress and the Ukrainian parliament, underlining its long-term strategic importance.
His remarks followed two days of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, where Ukrainian and Russian delegations met alongside US mediators for the first such format under Washington’s proposed roadmap to end the war. While the discussions did not produce a breakthrough, both sides signalled openness to continued dialogue.
Zelenskyy said the Abu Dhabi talks had helped narrow some differences, noting that several contentious issues within the US-proposed framework had been reduced. However, he acknowledged that major disagreements remain unresolved, particularly over Russia’s demands regarding Ukrainian territory.
According to Zelenskyy, Moscow continues to insist that Ukraine relinquish eastern regions it has been unable to fully capture through military means, a condition Kyiv has firmly rejected. He described the positions of Ukraine and Russia as fundamentally incompatible, while noting that the United States is attempting to broker a middle ground. He added that meaningful progress would require all parties, including Washington, to be willing to compromise.
Despite the lack of an agreement, US officials said further talks are expected next Sunday in Abu Dhabi. One senior American official described the atmosphere as constructive, saying participants engaged respectfully and focused on finding workable solutions. The official added that discussions had reached a detailed stage and expressed hope that the next meeting could move the process closer to a final outcome.
A spokesperson for the UAE government said the talks involved rare face-to-face engagement between Ukrainian and Russian negotiators and addressed unresolved aspects of the US peace proposal. The spokesperson also suggested that additional meetings could take place in Moscow or Kyiv before any potential high-level talks involving the Russian and Ukrainian presidents and the US president.
Diplomatic efforts were overshadowed by renewed Russian attacks during the same period. Overnight missile and drone strikes hit Kyiv and Kharkiv, crippling energy infrastructure during sub-zero temperatures and leaving more than a million people without electricity or heating.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of acting cynically by escalating attacks while talks were under way. He said the strikes demonstrated that Moscow was undermining diplomacy, adding that Russian missiles were targeting not only Ukrainian civilians but also the very foundation of negotiations aimed at ending the war.
